


Children of the Restrained Rank

by Ryntaia



Category: MapleStory
Genre: F/M, Kiddie fic, Pastfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-26
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-28 04:27:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5077756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryntaia/pseuds/Ryntaia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Back before the days of the Heroes, when Mercedes is but a child, her mother takes her to the city of Ariant for mysterious reasons. But as those mysterious reasons unfurl themselves in the form of an arranged marriage between nobles, the differences between the Elfin Court and the Ariant Palace begin to reveal themselves and the intentions of a young Phantom become apparent.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back before the days of the Heroes, when Mercedes is but a child, her mother takes her to the city of Ariant for mysterious reasons. But as those mysterious reasons unfurl themselves in the form of an arranged marriage between nobles, the differences between the Elfin Court and the Ariant Palace begin to reveal themselves and the intentions of a young Phantom become apparent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! I'm currently in the process of transferring some of my fics over from FF.net to Ao3, so this is actually a bit of an old fic. About two years, I think? But I actually still like it. I wanted to try writing something with a 'different' pairing for this game, and ended up going with Mercedes and Phantom. It was actually a super fun experience, to be entirely honest. That said, due to its age, I can't promise that there won't be parts of it that don't disagree with the current game canon. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter One

 

 

            A little girl lay, quiet, within the confines of the travelling chariot. The entire interior was decorated with soft white silk laid upon plush cushions; curls of long vines ran around the circular ceiling as it bounced with the gallop of the Pegasus pulling the vessel. Several light pink flowers blossomed vibrantly against the crisp pale fabric adorning the setup. The small creature couldn’t see much outside of her transportation; all that was allowed was a small glimpse of hot sand mountains that rose into the child’s vision when her body was bounced by the chariot. Her crisp blue eyes could barely see over window when she was seated regularly, and as a young lady she had been taught to sit only in a formal manner.

            Beside her sat a small, but grown, woman dressed in a long white gown. Large flower patterns could be seen lightly stitched into the delicate fabric and shimmering golden bracelets adorned her slim wrists. Set into the fine jewelry was bright turquoise gems, similar to the earrings hanging from the woman’s long and tapered ears. Blonde tresses cascaded alongside the elfin ears and were tied securely in knots of gold and green string.  Between her pink painted fingernails settled a very small book in which she was jotting down notes with an equally tiny quill. Her free hand grasped comfortingly at the hand of the girl next to her.

            The woman glanced to the girl next to her, dislodging her hand from the small child’s hand to travel upwards to the youngling’s cheek; slowly, she played with a strand of shimmering gold hair that was hiding behind a white cloak that had been pulled over the young child’s head. The outfit the girl had chosen covered her elfin ears and fell elegantly over her thin and small shoulders. The thin silk headpiece was worn atop a small, light green dress that had pink flowers sewn into the bottom lining.

            “I wish you would not wear that hood, Mercedes.” The woman sighed dramatically as she tried to push the headpiece away from the small girl. Small fingers held it firmly in place. “You are being overdramatic.”

            “I do not want to show my ears to the humans, mama.” The little girl complained loudly. “I do not even want to be among the humans! Why must I be here? This is silly!”

            “You know that we must come here frequently. The winged fairies have expressed interest in the Ariant nobility lately and they expressed that we should as well.” The Elf Queen told her daughter. It had been about the fourth time she had done so. “It shall not be as terrible as you are making it out to be. There will be other children to play with at the Ariant court. The Ariant nobles have many children.”

            “I do not care.” Mercedes huffed, crossing her arms. Quickly, though, one hand each went to the bottom of her hood to keep her mother from yanking the hood downwards to reveal her pointed ears. “They are just a bunch of awful human children. _I_ am a royal daughter of the mighty elfin people! Truly I have better things to be doing than mucking around with such lower creatures than _these._ ”

            The Elf Queen sighed and glanced out the window. She couldn’t say she particularly wanted to be here either, and she had her choice then Mercedes would probably had been left back in Eurel with the Elders. Unfortunately, the winged fairies…that silly Areda woman, had insisted that her daughter come along. The Queen knew it was a terrible idea, that her daughter was not yet ready to encounter the human world yet, but Areda was hard to just say no to and so she ended up packing Mercedes up in the chariot to take to Ariant. As expected, the child had complained the entire way there. The elfin mythology and teachings around Eurel had instilled in Mercedes a rather healthy dislike of the humans and the idea of being around them on a personal basis hadn’t sat well with the princess at all.

            Still….it made the Elf Queen nervous that Areda had insisted on Mercedes coming.

            “What is that woman up to this time?” She mused quietly.

            “What, mama?” Mercedes asked.

            “Hmm?” The Elf Queen lifted her face away from her hand to look down at her curious young girl. Mercedes was peering up at her with wide blue eyes and her mother simply gave her a tired smile. “Oh, it is nothing, my darling. Mama was just thinking about something important. Something, um….something that is political.”

            Mercedes scrunched her face up. She had never taken kindly to the political lessons of the Elfin Court, but the Elf Queen hadn’t remembered liking those lessons much herself either. They were particularly boring. No child, the equal of a seven year old, was going to enjoy being lectured on the complex nature of Elfin royal relations. So the Elf Queen just chuckled and patted her daughter on her hood adorned head.

            “Yes. It is just political nonsense. So do not worry your cute little head about it. For now, mama will take care of the political business.” She assured her daughter, casting her eyes back out to the sand covered landscape of the Nihal Desert to hide her mournful expression. Admittedly she was nervous about what Areda was up to with this place—this beautiful place, filled with humans who were both of the corrupt kind and of the abused innocent kind. But the Queen could not show that to her daughter. As far as Mercedes knew, the little girl was just there to have some fun and see the sights. To expand her world view and be a better queen.

            “Ma’am!” The driver called to the Queen. Her attention shot away from the rolling hills of sand to the winged man; his colorful purple and green patterned butterfly wings blocked their view ahead. “We are approaching the city of Ariant.”

            “Very well.” The Elf Queen sighed, fanning herself. The heat in this area was awful. It certainly was nothing like the cool, damp atmosphere of her homeland. Ever since she had entered the arid desert of Ariant, the pale woman had been sweating bullets endlessly. “Direct yourself to the entrance of the castle. There should be a group of guards waiting to help my daughter and I out.”

            _And hopefully Areda will be there too._ The Queen thought in vain. _I would like to have a word with that woman for dragging me out to these treeless, dry desert hell._

            When they dismounted into the dry air, the chubby fairy was nowhere to be seen. The two elves were instead greeted by a pair of tanned guards wielding long spears. Daggers were tucked securely into the sashes at their sides. The Elf Queen delicately placed her pale hand into one of their grasps, allowing the guard to brush his lips across the fingers in a greeting. They seemed awed by her almost ethereal appearance; the shimmering sun made the fairy almost glow in their eyes.

            “You are as gorgeous as said, m’lady.” The guard complimented. The Elf Queen chuckled lightly; humans were always like this with the flattery. They couldn’t take the appearance of the becoming fairy creature. “May we assume this is the Princess Mercedes? She has inherited the grace and beauty.”

            “Do not speak to me, human.” Mercedes mumbled, her words hidden and almost unheard behind her tiny hands. The Elf Queen rolled her eyes and took one of her daughter’s hands to guide the girl into the palace; Mercedes’ blue eyes flitted curiously across the waterfalls that fell from the disc shaped platform that held the golden structure above the city of Ariant. Splashes of water splattered onto her legs playfully and the girl giggled for the first time in hours.

            “See? It is not so bad.” The Queen said soothingly, patting her child on the back. Mercedes’ smile disappeared. “I must go seek out Areda. She is the one who called me here and I fear…that she has been making trouble for me. Why don’t you stay here and play in the water?”

            “Yes, mama.” Mercedes mumbled quietly as she sat beside the fountain. Her mother disappeared above into the castle, while a few guards stayed below with the young elfin princess to watch her…on the visiting Queen’s command, of course. They were not keen to enrage such a powerful creature, especially not in a way as to allow harm to come to her one and only living child. However, they did not speak to the girl either; the young elf didn’t seem to be the friendliest child in the world nor did she seem to wish to engage them.

            Still, with so few people around, the girl felt a little more comfortable pushing her white hood down and pulling her long blonde hair away from her neck. The heat in this desert really was awful…

            “You’re kind of weird looking, aren’t you.”

            The elfin girl jerked her head up immediately.

            Across from her, ankle deep in the oasis water underneath the disc that was keeping the palace afloat, stood a small blonde boy that appeared about her age. Judging from his rounded human ears, though, Mercedes knew that he was not. Perhaps a few hundred years younger, around the human age of ten or eleven years old. The boy did, however, carry a certain air of superiority that was reflected in his clothing choice. He was certainly no servant…no, she was looking at a child of Ariant nobility.

Across his bare chest was a light purple vest decorated in bright gold and blue designs, curving into dark blue gems that latched together in the center with a gold trimmed lace. At his waist was a yellow sash pinned up with a bright blue gem, holding up white pantaloons that cut off a slight bit above his knees. His feet went without shoes, and his bright blonde hair went without adornment unlike most of the royals seen in Ariant. Wild amethyst eyes looked at the elf challengingly.

            “I am not WEIRD LOOKING, human.” Merced snapped, smacking her hand into the pool of water. The splash hit the cuff of the boy’s white pantaloons and he chuckled lightly. “You’re the weird looking one.”

            “Not here I’m not. Are you the visitors?”

            “Maybe I am! That means you should treat me with RESPECT, you know.” Mercedes sniffed, sticking out her pink tongue slightly. The boy snorted slightly. “After all, I am Princess Mercedes of the Eurel Elfin Court. I should be treated with the utmost respect and nothing else. Who do you even think you are calling ME weird?”

            “You are HERE. _This…_ ” The boy gestured grandly to the palace, the city, around them. “…is not your Eurel Elfin Court, is it? You’re weird, here. I’m just _saying._ ”

            Mercedes was furious. She was seeing red, not even comprehending logic. Blocking out what little sense a child of her age would have, the elf girl reached out and gave the Ariant noble boy a hefty shove in the chest. With a loud shriek, the other child tripped and stumbled backwards into the cold water to soak his clothing and hair. When he jerked his head back above water he send an inspecting glare to the other girl.

            “What a brat!”

            “Like you should talk!”

            The two blonde children proceed to, for the next few minutes, just glare maliciously at each other. Then, finally, after the childish staring contest, the boy cinched up his hands and squirted a steady flow of oasis water straight into Mercedes’ face. She screamed and fell into a clump of green palms outside the fountain, spreading dirt all across her white poncho hood. The water dribbled slowly down onto her green dress. For a second, she stared wordlessly at the mess on her fine clothing, then let out a cry of young warfare and began to chase the other around the oasis kicking water at him. He retaliated in kind. The guards simply watched in unsure awe, unable to discern which child to stop.

            “That is quite enough.”

            Mercedes did not cease in her actions, but the boy stopped dead.

            In the pathway that the Elfin Queen had exited now stood a tall and foreboding woman. Long brown hair toppled down from the loose bun in her hair, tied up with a round gold circlet embedded with rubies and sapphires. The neckline of her dressed dipped deeply to reveal pale, round breasts decorated with an array of delicate beads and gems. Her skirt billowed out behind her in patterns of silken burgundy and gold, reflecting the hot gaze of the sun and occasionally showing glances of yellow slippers. Her amethyst eyes flitted between the two children judgmentally.

            “Cyrus.” The woman said curtly to the child.

            “ _Phantom_.” He muttered irately.

            “I will not have you running around with stupid gypsy nicknames, boy.” The woman snapped irately. The blonde directed his eyes to the ground and kicked at the sand, annoyed. Mercedes stuck her tongue out at him again as she wrung the water out of her green dress. “And you are…the elfin princess, are you not? Mercedes?”

            “Yes, m’lady.” Mercedes replied, recognizing the woman as an individual of higher rank and changing her tone accordingly. Even if the woman was a human, Mercedes did have her manners to attend to. “And you are?”

            “I am Lady Yvonne Nazari, fifth daughter of the third wife of the noble house of Ariant and mother of this inconsiderate whelp. Wife of Erol Nazari.” The woman responded wryly as she grasped her son by the arm tightly. The boy simply replied with a huffing snort and a disdained expression. “I have met with your mother already. She is quite the elegant one, though she hasn’t quite taken kindly to the ways of servitude in the capital of Nihal. I suppose we cannot expect to agree with the fairies on all…although hopefully Areda’s words will promise true. Having fairy blood in the family…”

            “Fairy blood?”

            “It’s not of your concern yet, Cyrus.” Yvonne snapped at her son.

            “ _Phantom.”_

            “I told you, I will not refer to you by that idiotic gypsy trick name!” Yvonne snapped as she yanked the child around and smacked him forward towards the palace gates. The blonde boy huffed again but did as instructed. His mother sent a nasty glance towards the elfin princess that let Mercedes know that she should be following after the ill-behaved child. “Clean yourselves up! BEFORE Sophitia sees you again, young princess!”

            “…Sophitia?” The blonde boy asked, once they were a safe distance from Yvonne.

            “My mother. QUEEN Sophitia of the Eurel Elfin Court.” Mercedes corrected the boy as they walked down the hall together, spreading droplets of water down the purple tiles. He simply rolled his amethyst eyes. “So…what’s Phantom? She kept calling you Cyrus…”

            “Not Cyrus. Phantom.” The blonde snorted indignantly, a strand of hair blowing off his nose. “Cyrus is the name given to me by snotty nobles. Phantom is the name given to me by the _Ageia_. I treasure the _Ageia_ name more than I treasure any stupid name given to me by a ‘noble’ mother and father. The name that Raven gives me is much more my TRUE name than….CYRUS. I don’t even know what it means, and Yvonne doesn’t either! But my _Ageia_ name, Raven knows and so do I. They gave it to me with REASON.”

            “ _Ageia_? Raven?” Mercedes asked, blue eyes curious and ear twitching slightly. The boy cast a suspicious glance around then grabbed the elf by the hand and dragged her down the hall. They turned down the left path into a garden full of exotic plants and past the throne room, finally reaching a set of double doors. They were engraved with ancient text and symbols, and embedded with valuable jewels. Cyrus, or Phantom as it may be, smiled mischievously and smacked tiny hands against the carved wooden doors.

            As the doors swung open, a library was revealed.

            “What is this? You bring a princess to a boring library?” Mercedes complained. She went ignored as the boy dug through piles of tomes, finally revealing a small red book and throwing it at her. She peered at it curiously, turning it upside down and trying to make sense of it. “What silly human language is THIS? I have never seen such symbols.”

            “And you think yourself so much smarter than the rest of the creatures of this world? Ha!” Phantom shrieked with youthful laughter. The young princess puffed up her cheeks in annoyance. “It’s _Ageian_ , the language of the local gypsy people of Ariant. They’re very rare nowadays, and don’t visit the city very often. Right now, there is a caravan of _Ageia_ gypsies located in the city headed by a leader named Raven.”

            “SO?” Mercedes sniffed.

            “Tch. Wouldn’t expect an airhead like you to understand.” Phantom snorted. Mercedes stiffened a bit at the insult. “I bet you just wallow in all the lavish gifts that they give you at your palace, huh, _princess_? I bet you don’t even mind stepping on the heads of each and every citizen and servant in order to have your way. Most of the nobles don’t. None of my cousins mind either, or my stupid siblings. My parents certainly don’t mind. Why would a spoiled little princess elf who can’t even respect other species respect citizens?”

            “How DARE you!” Mercedes shrieked, rising to her feet abruptly to kick over a stack of books in indignant rage. The boy looked unruffled. “I will have you know that servants in the court of Eurel are treated like _family_ , not like _slaves_! They eat off the same table as the royal elves and eat the exact same food as we do, and if they do not wish to work at the palace….if they do not even wish to be AT the Elfin Court, then they are free to leave and pursue their own choices! Our palace is completely different than your land of slavery and destitution so shut your stupid little human mouth! SCUM!”

            The boy was quiet.

            “…What makes you, the princess, different from the citizens and servants if all those things are true in the Elfin Court?” He asked finally. Mercedes snorted.

            “It is simple. We were chosen by the Elfin Great Spirit to make politic decisions, and are bestowed with her tests in order to receive her gifts in order to go into battle to protect her people and argue for their peace.” Mercedes said proudly. Phantom seemed rather interested now. “MY mother, Sophitia, fought in our wars. MY mother argued to save the land of our citizens. MY mother attends all the ceremonies of all elfin customs. We do not have slaves. We have those who choose to give back, and those who choose to not give back. And besides, everyone who works in the Elfin Court is paid.”

            “….The Ariant Palace really is corrupt.” Phantom finally muttered. Mercedes’ chubby young arms dropped to her side slightly; deep in her conscious, she considered that she may have gone too far in her statements. “It’s not like that here. The royals here, they’re awful. Even those who don’t work in the palace are just considered slaves to my mother and the other nobles. I think it’s stupid, and corrupt, and I hate every second of it. That’s why I was going to—“

            “Getting along, I see?”

            Both children looked up from their pile of books to see Yvonne standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, now accompanied by the Elf Queen and what looked to be a rather overweight blonde fairy woman with wings that were far too small for her body. Mercedes figured that it had to be Areda; she recognized the fairy woman from the copious amounts of makeup that was mashed onto her piglike face. The Elf Queen had described the unbecoming woman to her daughter many a times, and never in a pleasant manner. Mercedes could now easily see why.

            “Your daughter is a cute little dumpling, Sophitia.” Areda cooed quietly, scratching the little elf under the chin. Then she frowned visibly. “But she’s very, very wet.”

            “Yes, well, she fell in the fountain earlier.” Yvonne interrupted hurriedly. “But don’t worry about it. They’re getting along just fine. It was very kind of Cyrus to show our little guest the library, was it not?”

            “Yes, I suppose…” The Elf Queen’s tone was suspicious, almost uncomfortable. “I still don’t know if…”

            “Don’t be a stick in the MUD, Sophitia! I told you, it’s absolutely LUCIOUS to have connection to the Ariant royal court. They have the most GLORIOUS jewelry and some of the finest foods you’ll ever find.” Areda interrupted. The Elf Queen cast an annoyed glance at the fairy. “Along with that, it will bridge a long time wounded gap in the relations between humans and elf. It’s a win-win, Sophitia. And Yvonne has been looking for a way to tame THIS one for a while now, after all.”

            “Tame?” Mercedes and her mother glanced over to the brunette royal; Yvonne refused to meet their glance and instead focused on adjusting her son’s vest. “Yvonne…”

            “Don’t you worry about it, Sophitia. I think it would be a fine match. Simply agree, and we can begin the engagement rites of Ariant! They’re very fascinating, I’m sure the Elders of Eurel would most intrigued.” Yvonne chirped in a falsetto. The blonde children backed a few steps away at the words; Mercedes knitting her brow in emotional agony as Phantom’s amethyst eyes searching for an escape route. “So how about it? I think it would be a fine opportunity…open up all sorts of trade routes…”

            “…Well…I suppose.” The Elf Queen sighed and kneeled down next to her daughter with a slight smile on her face. “Dearest daughter, you wouldn’t mind doing the kingdom of Eurel a favor…to bridge the gap between humanity and elf-kind, dear Miss Yvonne has proposed an arranged marriage between the elfin princess and her noble son Cyrus! Isn’t that nice?”

            The combined shrieks were the only replies given.

 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back before the days of the Heroes, when Mercedes is but a child, her mother takes her to the city of Ariant for mysterious reasons. But as those mysterious reasons unfurl themselves in the form of an arranged marriage between nobles, the differences between the Elfin Court and the Ariant Palace begin to reveal themselves and the intentions of a young Phantom become apparent.

Chapter Two

 

 

            Mercedes’ small feet paced irritably around her Ariant boarding room, with her mother’s eyes trained pointedly on the irate child. It did not take much for the Elf Queen to judge the displeasure of her child. Elves were, after all, naturally in-tuned to the feelings of their own kind—the Queen even more so than the average. And the young princess Mercedes had never been one for hiding her displeasure in the slightest. At the same time, though, the girl had not spoken up to her mother ever since Sophitia and Yvonne had made the ‘announcement’; she had simply furiously stomped back and forth in her room.

            “Mercedes—“ The Elf Queen began but her child held up a hand.

            “Was…was this to be a thing from the beginning.”

            “I am afraid I had no knowledge of it. It was Areda’s plan to unite Ariant and Eurel when she invited us here but I was not aware of it.” The Queen explained to her daughter patiently; it was better than arguing with the slight youngling. Mercedes huffed slightly, her cheeks puffing up. “When I went into the palace I ran into Areda and she explained to me the….proposition at hand. I do not believe it is as horrendous an idea as you are making it out to be, my dear child.”

            “It is SO!” Mercedes cried abruptly. The Elf Queen placed a shocked hand over her chest at the brash outbreak. “I will not do this! To marry a….a HUMAN! And such an uncouth, misbehaving CRETIN of a human at that! It is nothing but an insult to my high bred elfin blood and I will do nothing of the sort!”

            “Mercedes.” The Elf Queen interrupted the child’s rant sharply as she rose to her feet. The blonde girl cringed; her mother towered a good few feet over the child still. “I will have no more of this. We are not doing this simply because we want to. The Elfin Court decided to accept this invitation for the good of both sides, and for the good of our people. I accepted the invitation for an arranged marriage between you and Yvonne’s child because it would be good for relations between our nations.”

            “Relations between…?”

            “Yes. Some of our main imports in Eurel, though we import little, come either from Ariant or Leafre. They are one of the few countries in the world that produce the alchemy gem Lidium, along with a surplus of spices and herbs that greatly benefit all those foods that you devour at our royal dwelling in Eurel.” The Queen’s eyes were steely and hard now, glaring harshly down at her child. “If this arrangement goes as planned then we will have a much more agreeable situation regarding those imports, as well as a much more agreeable relationship between elfkind and humankind.”

            “Agreeable relationship between ELFKIND AND HUMANKIND?!” Mercedes burst out, finally ignoring her mother’s persuasive glare. “You have never cared for the humans! None of us have! And yet you would sell out your child for a relationship with them…you would sell out you own child for imported goods from their world?!”

            “MERCEDES! You will CALM yourself!” The Elf Queen shouted back at her daughter. “This outburst is unacceptable for a child of your rank and you should be ashamed of yourself! You need to understand, child, that our world is shrinking!”

            “Shrinking?” Mercedes’ own anger seemed to disappear, replaced by a harrowed fear. “What do you mean by…shrinking? Mama, what’s really going on?”

            The Elf Queen seemed to almost shrink herself at the thought.

            “…Mercedes. Dear, young Mercedes.” She whispered. “Our world…is small. The humans have the world. While the winged fairies, and even some of our own elves, would rather ignore that we are becoming the minority of the world…it does not change that we cannot seclude ourselves forever and hope that things will go well. We MUST make well with the humans while we can.”

            “Mother…”

            “Our world is shrinking, Mercedes.” The Elf Queen didn’t even seem to be looking at her child anymore, despite the hand that gently ran across the girl’s soft cheek. “We must become one with it someday…if not today, it will be tomorrow. If not now…in your distant future. Because there are not enough elves left to sustain a health a complete society. One city full of one kind…does not make a complete and intelligent world. It makes a shut off, ignorant world of creatures unable to open themselves to the world.”

            “But…Mama.” Mercedes tried. “If I must…then should it not be upon my own terms, to a person that I choose?”

            “…One day, Mercedes.” The Elf Queen sighed, her tone heavy with regret and pity. “One day you will understand the duty of a royal. You will understand that regardless of all our privilege and choice in life…there are some things we simply have to do for the good of others, whether it benefit us. And as you are, as a small child, you are not going to understand that. Maybe you never will. I have seen nobles who never understand it, and they have suffered because of that lack of understand…but it is a price we have to pay for our privilege and the right to make the decisions of a vast group of people.”

            “Mama…please.”

            “I will hear no more of this discussion, Mercedes.” The Elf Queen picked her daughter up, carrying Mercedes over to her bed. It was situated next to a window that overlooked the dunes and was enshrined in purple silk. The frame itself was made of solid gold and embedded with glistening lidium jewels. The gems sparkled brightly in the light of the full moon. Any other day, Mercedes would have marveled at it; today, the girl was content to ignore it and bury her face in the white clad silk of her mother’s shoulder. “You must sleep. You must be prepared for the day ahead of you, for you must get to know your new fiancé.”

            “I do not wish to do any such thing.” Mercedes mumbled into the thin sheet as her mother tucked her in. The Elf Queen shook her head but didn’t answer the child; there was no point arguing anymore. It seemed to her like her daughter would never understand her position through pointless bickering. With a sigh, the woman dimmed the oil lamp by her daughter’s bedstand and retreated through the stone exitway to leave her child in silence.

            Mercedes flipped onto her side, staring blankly out to the desert hills. Her tiny nose scrunched up. How she had come to hate the sand. So grainy and uncomfortable. _Ariant_ , what a horrible place it had turned out to be for her! On top of being hot and full of this horrible sand substance, now she was having to marry a human simple for the good of her parents…for the good of some reasoning that she barely understood. And she was simply a child, how could she be expected to understand? All this mumbo-jumbo about ‘shrinking species’ and ‘the shut off elfin world’—Mercedes did not understand it. She had never seen Eurel as such a place. Eurel had always seemed vast and endless to her child-like mind.

            Slowly, her blue eyes slid closed. The day had left her tired and disappointed and she figured that perhaps she could find solace in sleep.

            “Hey, you.”

            The blonde elf groaned irately. _Not that sleep will find me with so many irritants rushing around the human world like this!_

            “What do YOU want?” Mercedes demanded, sitting up to look the intruder in the eyes. Perched on her windowsill, balanced on the balls of his feet, was the amethyst eyed boy from earlier—Cyrus, or ‘Phantom’ as he seemed to enjoy calling himself. Her so called fiancé. The mere thought of this…HUMAN as a marital candidate was still absurd to the elf princess. “I have had just about enough of YOU today, thank you very much. Leave me alone!”

            “Who stuck a stick up your butt? I just came to talk.” Phantom snorted, blowing a strand of blonde hair out of his face.

            “Well, you certainly could have picked a better time. It is late and I am far too tired for your nonsense.” Mercedes replied curtly. Then she raised a thin eyebrow. “How did you get up here, anyways? This is the second floor. And neither I nor Mama detected your presence. And we elves have VERY sensitive hearing.”

            Phantom grinned widely as he swung his feet over the windowsill. “Raven taught me how to do it.”

            “…You mentioned him earlier. Before the Ariant lady and Mama burst in and made that awful announcement.” Mercedes made a face, which Phantom appropriately mimicked. “Who is he? You seem to think fondly of him.”

            “Raven is the leader of a local band of travelling _Ageia_ gypsies.” Phantom said proudly. “I met them one day when Mother took me down in the square. They were doing performances and they saw me. They named me ‘Phantom’ on account of how I looked so pale in the Nihal Desert. Raven said he had never seen anything like it. I’ve been seeking out a lot lately to see Raven and his trope. He’s been teaching me a lot of his tricks.”

            “His tricks seem a little bit…bad.”

            “That’s what MOTHER says.” Phantom snorted. “But Raven only steals things from rich people and gives them to the poor people who deserve it. He’s a hero among thieves. He uses his talents for good. Sometimes he’s gotta keep some of the spoils, a’course, but that’s only so he can keep doing his job right and keep his family afloat. The _Ageia_ are very close knit when it comes to family.”

            “Is thieving really common for _Ageia_?” Mercedes asked, damning her own youthful curiosity. Phantom shook his head.

            “Raven said he regrets that he has to break some _Ageia_ codes to do what he needs to do.” Phantom replied. Mercedes looked at him in confusion. “They have their own religion. An _Ageian_ nomad religion. It does forbid thievery but Raven ignores it so he can do good things! So it’s okay. I think so, anyways. And one day I’m gonna be just like him, stealing from rich people and giving to poor people!”

            “But you ARE a rich people.” Mercedes pointed out.

            “I’m not always gonna be.” Phantom hunkered down against one corner of the window, staring up at the full moon wistfully. Slowly the elf crawled out of her bed and situated herself next to the other noble. The wind blew lightly through her blonde locks as the two stared up at the sky. “One day I’m not gonna be in this prison. One day I’ll be travelling with the _Ageia_ , liberating riches from the wealthy and giving them to the poor…and living life just like Raven. Caring about people instead of money. Unlike the people in this stupid PALACE.”

            Mercedes cast a glance over at the other child. “….Why are you telling ME this, boy? You barely know me. This is rather personal information, I think.”

            “What? Oh.” Phantom shrugged. “Well, I guess you’re my fiancée or something. Not that I really want a fiancée. But I guess if you’re going to be my fiancée, you should know that I’m probably not going to be here for long. That one of these days, I’m gonna stage a great escape and run away with the _Ageia_ and become a master thief. Hell, I might even do it before we end up married. Who knows.”

            “…Before…?”

            “Well, yeah. I guess it all depends on when Raven decides to leave.” Phantom replied as he turned to the girl. He plastered the most charming smile he could on his face—which, for a ten year old, was not especially so. Mercedes grimaced in return. “He’s being pretty forgiving. Every time I come down to the square, him and his family said that he’ll wait for me. They’ve been waiting about four or five months now. I’m starting to feel kind of bad about it at this point, but I don’t know. I guess I’d also kind of feel bad about leaving my mother.”

            “…You should go.”

            “Eh?” Phantom cast a confused look at the elf.

            “I do not want to marry you, stupid human! Did my shrieks of dismay not tip you off?” Mercedes scoffed. “I had assumed your similar reaction meant that you felt the same. I cannot marry a human. And I shall not. Especially not at such a tender age. When I marry, it will be out of affection for my chosen one! I grow so very tired of my mother acting as if she can make my choices for me. And who I shall marry will NOT be the choice she makes for me.”

            “…Well, that’s pretty haughty of you but I can’t say I really want to stay here.” Phantom mused. “I hate it here. They treat everyone who isn’t a noble like trash. It’s disgusting to watch. The servants are treated like trash, and the locals are treated even worse. Have you seen the conditions here? I’ve watched my family force the citizens mine nonstop for lidium, all because they want some pretty decorations on their stupid lamps!”

            “That’s awful!” Mercedes cried out, and then covered her mouth. She realized that being caught late at night with a boy in her room, fiancé or not, would probably not be good for either of them. Phantom laughed quietly at her but his smile quickly faded.

            “I hate it. We have all kinds of wonderful exports but we abuse the people to get those exports. All so that the nobles can live a pig-like life of disgusting extravagance.” Phantom shook his head in dismay. “It’s no way to rule a country and yet it’s how Ariant has been managed for hundreds of years.”

            “It’s nothing like that in Eurel.” Mercedes puffed up her cheeks.

            “What’s it like there?”

            “In Eurel, we live as a whole! Everyone cooperates to make the city work. Each and every elf has the right to speak with the ruler about a complaint they may have, and the citizens are treated as if they are family. The elves are one big family. The Queen is like the Mother, selected by the Great Spirit herself.” Mercedes explained with a blissful smile on her face. Then it disappeared into an expression of stern stubbornness. “I shall make a deal with you, Phantom. Will you hear out my deal?”

            “I’d like to hear your deal, little miss Princess.” Phantom said. His smile was smug and amused. “You’re interesting. Go on.”

            “…Well!” Mercedes huffed, face red. “INTERESTING or not, here is my deal. I would like to meet with your Raven and your _Ageia_ gypsies. I would like to see how magnificent and wonderful they truly are. If they are truly as full of justice and greatness as you say they are, and their leader is so great, then I will encourage you to run away from Ariant with them. Doing so will cancel the engagement. You will no longer have to put up with the Ariant monarchy, and I will be free to marry whoever I choose to marry!”

            “…You think pretty highly of yourself if you think I need your encouragement to want to run away with the _Ageia_.” Phantom said nonchalantly, an arrogant smirk painted across his featured. He was surprised when an equally arrogant smirk spread across the elfin princess’s face as well. “Or did you leave something out, little pointy eared one?”

            “Indeed, I did.” Mercedes continued. “If this works out as planned, and I approved of your _Ageia_ and your Raven and the engagement does end up cancelled…I will eventually end up going back to Eurel, and eventually end up ascending the throne. I will become the new Elf Queen. Thusly I will have all control over the exports and imports in and out of Eurel. When that ascension occurs, I will create an official blockage of all products of Ariant into Eurel. We will no longer purchase lidium and spices acquired from slave labor of the locals, thus putting a dent in the budget of the nobles you so detest.”

            “…That’s…quite a proposition, little miss princess.”

            “It is. The effects will not be immediate, but do not doubt the words of an Elf Princess. I, Princess Mercedes, do not forget.” Mercedes grinned smugly and stuck out a small hand. “Do we have a deal?”

            Phantom inspected the girl’s hand for a moment, then slid his hand into her grip to give it a firm shake.

            “We have a deal. I’ll take you down to the square to meet Raven tomorrow.”


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back before the days of the Heroes, when Mercedes is but a child, her mother takes her to the city of Ariant for mysterious reasons. But as those mysterious reasons unfurl themselves in the form of an arranged marriage between nobles, the differences between the Elfin Court and the Ariant Palace begin to reveal themselves and the intentions of a young Phantom become apparent.

Chapter Three

 

 

            “Put this on.”

            Mercedes flinched a bit as her face was encased by the rough, gritty brown fabric of the hood. Phantom ignored her apparent discomfort and tucked her pointed ears into the cover. Almost as if upon reflex, the girl’s hand snapped upwards to smack his hand away from her ears; sharp blue elfin eyes glared pointedly into amethyst ones. The young Ariant noble simply shrugged the girl’s untrained glare off.

            “Look, we have to go through a square full of civilians to meet up with Raven. Elves aren’t something these people see very often, outside of Areda. And they aren’t too fond of Areda anyways.” Phantom explained. Mercedes almost snorted; having met the unpleasant fairy woman, she could easily tell why the native residents of Ariant wouldn’t care for her. Even the Eurel princess did not care much for Areda, and it was not common for an elf to hold outward disdain towards another of her kind.

            “Does this Raven of yours know that we are coming?” Mercedes questioned.

            “He doesn’t know we’re coming today, no. But I visit him and his family very often so he expects me often.” Phantom replied, taking the elf girl’s hand and guiding her down the purple halls of Ariant palace. Mercedes scratched at her leg; the uncomfortable fabric of the dress that Phantom had forced her to wear was far from what she was used to adorning. But he had told her that the thick brown cotton was the common garb of the locals, and that it help her blend in while wandering around looking for his thief mentor. He himself was wearing similar clothing. As it was, they looked to be young house servants with hoods over their heads.

            “Does he expect me to visit?” Mercedes continued her barrage of questions.

            “I’ve made mention of you, yes. But I don’t think he expects me to bring you by the _Ageia_ hideout or anything. He’ll be surprised to see you.” Phantom replied as they passed by a group of servants. He seemed to avoid the elf girl’s eyes when he said this—like he was hiding something. The group of women cast knowing looks at the young Ariant noble as he passed by, watching him retreat out the gates of the castle without passing any word to his parents or the Queen. “Don’t worry about it. Raven loves kids. He has five of his own. He’ll be happy to see you.”

            “I do not worry.” Mercedes sniffed, almost indignantly, as she was led into the town square of Ariant by her so-called fiancé. “I am a elfin noble, with much larger issues to ponder than whether or not I am expected by a thief.”

            Phantom laughed jovially. “You think SO highly of yourself, princess.”

            “Why? Should I not?”

            “I guess a little self-esteem is called for. Might want to cut down on it a bit here, though. You’re supposed to act like a civilian in the town square, and in front of Raven your rank of nobility won’t mean much.” Phantom scoffed. Mercedes scrunched up her delicate nose but didn’t dignify the other blonde’s words with an answer. She supposed that she would simply have to see Phantom’s secretive mentor for herself.

            So instead of busying herself with his words, she chose to cast her gaze around the town square.

            It was a hub that bustled with activity. Stands were full of locals selling their wares—delicious vegetables and fruits that could only be grown in Ariant, situated next to carts stacked high with rare and expensive spices available only in the desert region. The sweet scent of perfumes radiated off several of the stands, sprayed onto the thick silk drapes displayed across the stone buildings. The tan locals milled about exchanging their mesos for food and services. They spoke loudly, as to be heard over the buzz of loud music and the clanking of the nearby lidium mine.

            “You’re in luck, little elf.” Phantom commented. “Today is market day. It’s the day that the locals sell their wares to each other, and display their festival talents.”

            “Like a farmer’s market?”

            “Pretty much. It happens fairly often.” Phantom commented, keeping a tight grip on the little elf’s hand in order to lead her through the crowd of intimidatingly large human adults. A child pushed past them here and there; Mercedes noted in interest that they addressed the noble boy in pleasant tones, by the name that he wished to be called rather than the name his mother had early insisted upon. “It’s a rather grand event. I first ran into the _Ageia_ at one of these markets. They do performances.”

            “Performances?”

            “Yes! While Raven is adept at thievery, the _Ageia_ talents lie primarily in the performing arts and creative arts.” Phantom laughed. “They’re traditionally nomadic, and travel across the world in order to show their abilities in exchange for services. _Ageian_ blankets are very prized in the El Nath region, I hear.”

            “They must be!” Mercedes shivered visibly. “I have been to that place. Such a horribly cold place. We elves do not care much for the cold.”

            “Ha! Then perhaps you would care for an _Ageian_ blanket.” Phantom quipped, dragging the young girl behind him. Mercedes raced eagerly to keep up; she could hear the music intensifying as they dashed forward together. The sound of feet pounding on the stone and sand alerted the girl to dancers. “Or perhaps even _Ageia_ dancers…they’re traditionally impressive, you know. I’M learning to do some of the dances.”

            Mercedes just snorted at the brag and pushed through the crowd. Both children popped through the front to watch a group of dancers. There were six dancers in total, three women and three men. The women wore bright purple brassieres decorated in shimmering golden coins that clanged loudly as they danced; their legs were encased in loose, shimmering silk pantaloons that tied securely at the waist by a pink sash. Their hair was braided meticulously and all met together at the hem of a white headdress—at the center of each headdress was a stone made of pure lidium carved into a round gem.

The men wore black vests decorated with elaborate red and purple patterns, tied at the middle with a gold string. Complex gold necklaces adorned their clavicles, shaped into the form of a blossoming red flower made of ruby. The center of the ruby necklace was a golden keyhole, with a jade key dangling from the bottom of the necklace. The male dancers too wore pantaloons, but of a white color and tied with a green and blue sash. In front of the pantaloons hung a fold of brown fabric trimmed with bright red and gold.

They grasped the female dancers by the arms and spun them around in entrancing patterns; Mercedes gasped as one woman was picked up and tossed in the air by the hem of her pink sash. Another one of the male dancers, seemingly without effort, caught her by her hips and sat the woman down on the hard cobbled sandstone. The female dancer bowed graciously and went into a series of spins and twists that appears to be directed at the other dancer. The other dancers formed a circle to the side so that the focus could be on these two dancers, but not to obstruct the view of the audience.

            “They’re telling a tale.” Phantom whispered to the elf, tugging at her dress.

            “A tale?”

            “Yes. It’s a _Ageian_ traditional myth, about a goddess who tripped and fell from the sky. She was thusly saved by a moral man and thanked him with her flesh. They eventually courted and created a new branch of humanity.” Phantom explained, gesturing as the two dancers acted out the myth. “That’s what the _Ageia_ consider themselves. The descendants of this goddess and her mortal mate.”

            “She is crying now.” Mercedes observed. The dancer woman had fallen to her knees dramatically as the male dancer seemed to mimic death.

            “Yes. Because the goddess was immortal, and her mate was not.” Phantom explained. “It’s a tragic story, in a way. The full version is very long….the dance is actually a very abridged version of the story of the _Ageia._ ”

            “A child dancer!” Mercedes cried out excitedly, pointing forward with the hand that was still clutched in Phantom’s grasp. The child stepped forward to lay her hand on the female dancer, who looked up to cast a sorrowful glance onto the newcomer. The youngling began to perform an elaborate dance for the older dancer, and slowly, a smile broke across her face and the female dancer joined in with the child.

            “Yeah!” He drew himself up proudly. “The first _Ageia._ She cheered up her mother with the art of the _Ageians_ , granted upon her by the cleverness passed into her blood by the goddess.”

            “It’s quite a tale, I think.” A new voice interrupted. Mercedes stiffened at this voice; it was a male adult. His voice was soothing, and deep, but somehow unnerving. “We have told it for many a century to both our people and people outside alike. So tell me, young Phantom, who are you telling our tales to here?”

            “Raven!” Mercedes had to stick her finger in her ear due to the pitch that Phantom managed to reach; her hand was now fully free as the blonde Ariant noble launched himself at the stranger’s knees. The man chuckled lightly and patted the boy on the head, casting a glance at the head of the girl who was still turned away from him. She still would not turn to face the _Ageia_ man. “It’s good to see you, Raven!”

            Mercedes didn’t want to admit it, but this man had an overwhelmingly powerful presence. Even without looking at the man, Raven made it feel like everyone else in the square had absolutely no presence at all. Like it was just her, and this leader of the local gypsy nomads. Even the young Ariant noble seemed to have no presence next to him. And she was nearly humiliated to find that Raven actually intimidated her.

            “Turn to face me, little one.”

            Mercedes found she couldn’t disobey.

            The man himself seemed fairly unintimidating—he was dressed similarly to the male dancers, in fact. The only difference was a single addition. Latched onto a sash tied around his slick black hair was a sleek mask, currently positioned over his dark blue eyes. It was dark black and the pins on the end were gold, inset with a turquoise gem. Attached to the gem were four glistening stiff feathers, dyed a dark blue color at the tips. Most noticeably, at least in Mercedes’ eyes, was the beak-like protrusion coming out from the center of the mask that sloped down across the man’s tan nose. It was decorated in elaborate gold patterns around the edges but matched in tune with the rest of the mask, made to appear in the shape of a raven’s face.

            He smiled warmly down at the girl, blue eyes glistening comfortingly. Almost immediately, the feeling of intimidation seemed to wash out of the elf girl’s form as she gazed up in wonder at this man. So this was Raven. She could tell with ease that he was a man who could both frighten his enemies and comfort his people—a warrior against his foes, a thief against those who he felt did ill, and a Shepard of his people. 

            “H-Hello.” She said meekly. Phantom smirked; he seemed to take a minute joy in the fact that he had finally rendered the elf to a point where she did not feel so high and mighty, even if it was not he who had truly done so. “A-are you the one whom he calls Raven.”

            The man crouched down next to the small child and took her hand, shaking it with practice ease. “Yes. I am Raven. You, I assume, are the elf child…the young fiancée of my protégé Phantom. I have heard a little bit about you and your unique ways. Phantom visited me very late last night and told me about the situation involving you and the Ariant palace. It’s an interesting one, I must say. I was hoping I could hear more about it from you, yourself, dear little Miss Mercedes.”  

            Mercedes cast a glare at the Ariant noble standing by Raven’s feet—so that’s what Phantom had not wanted to meet her eyes earlier when she asked if Raven had been expecting her! Phantom had LIED to her! Deep within her being, she willed herself to calm down. This was no time to be angry at the young noble boy. He seemed a bit nervous as it was, and she herself was nearly quaking under the pressure. Raven laid a comforting hand on the girl’s head and gestured at a decorated caravan situated in a nearby alleyway.

            “Perhaps we could discuss this situation better in private, my dear child.” Raven said smoothly. “You could meet the rest of my family, my _Ageia_ troop, and make your judgment call then. We are about to wrap up the morning performances and have our lunch, after all…why not join us for a meal of spiced rabbit meat? Or, if you prefer, we have some less meaty meals that we can deliver…”

            “No, do not trouble yourself.” Mercedes said hastily, not wanting to inconvenience the man. While her people were often focused on vegetarian diets, they occasionally dipped into a meat dish here and there. They were not the strictest. “Spiced rabbit meat is fine. I am sure it will be delicious. I would love to join you all for lunch, sir.”

            Raven bowed respectfully, flicking his mask off his face to wink at the elf child. “Then I will see you both there.”

            Mercedes was speechless.

            Humans. So strange.

            Still…it was for the best she speak with this one and his troop of fascinating performers. They did intrigue her, after all.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back before the days of the Heroes, when Mercedes is but a child, her mother takes her to the city of Ariant for mysterious reasons. But as those mysterious reasons unfurl themselves in the form of an arranged marriage between nobles, the differences between the Elfin Court and the Ariant Palace begin to reveal themselves and the intentions of a young Phantom become apparent.

Chapter Four

 

 

            As the swell of music began to die away into the evening, Raven led the two noble children into an alleyway unlike any that the elfin princess had ever seen in Ariant. Though dusty like the others it was certainly not as empty—the entryway was blocked off by a large silk curtain. Dyed atop the purple silk was the large image of a blackbird with its wings spread wide across the crescent moon. Mercedes fingered the fine material in thinly veiled awe as they passed through the entryway to Raven’s world. To the world of Phantom’s gypsies, the world of the _Ageia_ gypsies.

            Behind the curtain of silk were three caravan wagons covered in the same delicate fabric that blocked the pathway of the alleyway. The wheels of each wagon were large and held high the homes of the travelling nomads—the wood that was not covered by decorations was painted in vibrant purples and blues. The roofs were lined by gold beaded carpets tied securely to the top. Upon the end of each cart was a curved and gem-embedded ladder that led up to a doorway, sided by two paintings. One painting was elaborate, the clear work of a master painter and depicted the dancers at their work. The other, a flurry of splattered colors that appeared to be created by children.

            Judging by the various young ones running around…Mercedes figured it was likely the second paintings WERE done by children. The tan offspring looked at the newcomer curiously; they did not even bother to hide their interest in her. All of them varied greatly in age—from the youngest baby cradled by a pudgy woman sitting on the back of a wagon, to a pair of teenagers giggling amongst themselves, all ages were clearly represented amongst this _Ageia_ caravan of nomadic people.

            “Raven, you have returned.” A woman approached Mercedes and Phantom’s guide—she held a baby in a sling against her purple clothed brassiere, allowing it to freely suck at her teat as she cradled its fragile head. Her lips were painted a dark red and her black hair cascaded into a loosely tied braid across the back of her neck. She placed a kiss on the corner of Raven’s cheek and he placed a hand onto her hip. Mercedes could only assume that this was his wife, and the baby his child.

            “Yes, Rosella, I am back. And I have brought company.” The man gestured at the two children behind him with a warm smile on his lips; Mercedes noted his fingers that stayed firmly planted on the beak of his mask to ensure it did not leave his face. Especially when his wife went to remove it and her hand was brushed away.

            “Ah, it is our little noble _Bambinata_ , the little Phantom!” Rosella said cheerfully. Mercedes was shocked when the _Ageia_ woman swept the blonde Ariant noble up in her free arm. The baby aside him gurgled happily and reached out to paw at Phantom’s arm. “It has been too long, my dear young one. We missed you so.”

            “It’s only been a day, Rosella!” Phantom laughed.

            “A day is too much time without our noble little pale _Bambinata_.” Rosella cooed gently, rubbing her nose against the boy’s as if she were his own mother. But she let him down to his feet none the less. “You have brought a friend with you? Is this the elfin _Chimba_ you were telling us about yesternight? She is a beauty creature!”

            “ _Chim…ba…?_ ” Mercedes cocked her head to one side. She had figured that _Bambinata_ was a term of endearment from the way Rosella was using it, but this new word was lost on her. Phantom snickered slightly.

            “Some of the _Ageia_ don’t speak English as strongly as the rest. So they slip in a few _Agerian_ words here and there.” Phantom explained to the girl. “Rosella isn’t too bad about it…her mother doesn’t even speak a word of English. _Chimba_ is their word for child…the female variant, specifically. She said you were the ‘elfin little girl’ that I mentioned.”

            “Oh. Some of the older elves back in Eurel speak an ancient elf language too.” Mercedes mused. “But most of them speak English now.”

            “I’m learning the _Ageia_ language.” Phantom said proudly. “I’m learning to speak it, read it, AND write it. Raven says I’ll be ‘keeping a dying language alive’.”

            “That you will, _Bambinata._ ” Raven chuckled richly, clapping both children on the shoulders. Mercedes jumped slightly at the sudden human touch—it still made her a bit uncomfortable to be in such close contact with so many human beings, even ones who were so oddly friendly to her. “It is a fine culture to keep alive, this one of ours. I certainly cannot think of a finer child to pass it onto, besides my own!”

            “How many children do you have?” Mercedes inquired.

            “Counting the new one…” Raven lovingly pinched the cheek of the baby in Rosella’s arms, who squealed in annoyance. “…it’ll be five. All wonderful ones. Perhaps a new addition, outside of Rosella and me, will be added soon…”

            Mercedes blinked; she could see, through the holes in the black mask, that the tall gypsy man was looking straight at the Ariant noble standing beside her. And Phantom was staring determinedly back at Raven with his small fists clenched at his side. The tall tan man chuckled slightly and gestured the elf and the Ariant noble to enter his caravan wagon—Rosella and Phantom immediately headed inside, while Mercedes stood outside with her hands tugging at her dress tightly. Raven watched her with steadily sobering eyes.

            “Mercedes? Princess?” He asked softly.

            “Huh? Oh. I…sorry.” She said, quickly. The man crouched by her.

            “Is something bothering you?”

            “…I came here…expecting something a little different, I suppose.” She admitted. “I have never seen humans like you and your people before. I’ve never seen humans like the _Ageia_ , who are so friendly and welcoming…and I do not think I have ever seen anyone look upon a child that is not their own with such welcoming and warm eyes. Particularly when that child is the child of an empire that has abused the civilians like the Ariant empire clearly abuses your people. I feel….I feel so…”

            “…confused, perhaps?” Raven supplied.

            “Yes, I guess.” Mercedes admitted. She didn’t like to admit that she didn’t know something that a human did. At the very least, though, she could take solace in the fact that Raven was clearly a wise human and an adult one at that. He clearly had knowledge beyond his species and perhaps even his own age. “I do not understand the warmness that is shown towards Phantom despite his lineage…despite who _he really represents_.”

           The elf princess was surprised when Raven actually laughed at her words and patted her on the brow of her golden hair.

            “Ah, young elf _Chimba._ Little elf princess. You have much to learn, I think.” Raven said comfortingly. Mercedes bristled visibly. “Do not fear, child. It’s not a bad thing to have things to learn—perhaps, even, it’s a good thing. At your age, we all have things that we need to learn. We all have room to grow when we are as small as you are. So relax, and I will explain to you why we treat the pale ghost with such kindness.”

            Mercedes forced her body to calm.

            “We treat him kindly because we recognize that Phantom is not our abuser. We recognize that Phantom wants nothing to do with the upper class that has hurt the civilians of Ariant so badly.” Raven said. “And admittedly, not all of my caravan sees this. Not everyone here is fine with Phantom’s presence. But my wife and I, as well as many in this group of _Ageia_ gypsies, will fight for Phantom’s right to be among us.”

“Because we know that Phantom is discontent with his family and we know that he is disgusted by their extravagance.” Raven continued. Mercedes stared at the _Ageia_ man with enraptured blue eyes. “A lot of us know that he wants to help take them, and people like them, out of power even at the cost of his own wealth. We know that he is _happier_ here with us, even if it means wallowing in dust and poverty. And happiness is what is truly the most important thing, especially when you are a child his age in such a merciless world.”

            “…You are…very noble, I must admit.” Mercedes fiddled with her hands bashfully. “I did not think that such a kind of nobility in spirit…could even exist in a human being.”

            Raven grinned. “Do not christen me as noble yet, dear elf princess, for I’m not the most kindly of people. After all, I’m sure Phantom has told you of my misdeeds. Of ALL of our misdeeds.”

            “…Yes. He has mentioned to me that you and your people occasionally break the creed of your _Ageian_ culture.” Mercedes admitted. “Phantom mentioned to me that you steal from the wealthy in order to dethrone those who tend towards abusing their power. It is your way of bringing justice to those whom perform misdeeds, is it not? It is…your way of dealing out the law to those whom the law does not reach….correct?”

            “You are perspective, little elf. Yes. Being in Ariant, we are abused by the world around us. With the King in place, it was already rather terrible.” Raven’s face creased into a vicious frown. “But then Areda came around, and it only became worse.”

            “Yes…I know of Areda. Not even those in the fairy court and the elfin court care much for her. It was HER idea to engage me to Phantom.” Mercedes said unhappily. Raven perked up a tad. “Mother and Queen Yvonne thought it was a fabulous idea, as did that horrid crone Areda. I think it is awful but I have to go through with it…unless I see fit to approve Phantom leaving with you and the _Ageia_.”

            “Ahaha, I see.” Raven chuckled warmly. “So that is his scheme.”

            “What? You mean he did not tell—“

            “MERCEDES!!” The elf looked up to see a red faced Phantom standing in the door of the caravan; hanging off one of his arms was a young tan boy around the age of four, while a similar looking boy peeked around his leg. Mercedes figured them for twins. “You weren’t supposed to let him know that was the plan….!”

            “Rest assured, Phantom, I had my suspicions.” Raven chuckled as Phantom’s red face turned a darker scarlet hue. The tall masked man scooped each of the twin boys up under an arm and mumbled to them in their own language with an affectionate tap on the nose for both. They scurried back into the caravan chattering amongst themselves. “You certainly didn’t think you could trick me, did you, boy? I’m much more clever than that…they don’t call me a Master Thief for no reason, Phantom. Figuring out riddles and schemes is part of the job, my dear child.”

            “I…I’m sorry, Master Raven.” Phantom mumbled, rubbing his foot bashfully against the wood deck. Mercedes raised an eyebrow; she knew the blonde boy had a lot of respect for the masked man but she had no idea his respect was THAT high. “I…does that mean the answer is no?”

            “Nonsense. I would not dare leave you here in Ariant with these foolish clods who dare call themselves royals. They don’t deserve a child like yourself, boy.” Raven declared. Phantom perked up. “It’s just a pity that this clever young lass can’t come along. I rather liked the part of the equation where she was to become your bride. I think she would make a fine bride for you. I would not mind having such a fine daughter-in-line amongst the ­ _Ageia_ —elfin blood amongst the _Ageia_ , humans supposedly descended from the Goddess! Could you believe it? It’s pretty ambitious, but…”

            He turned to smile cheekily at the elf girl while Phantom spluttered red-faced. She was staring at the ground with a slight pink blush on her face—for once, Mercedes didn’t feel like protesting the idea of being around humans. Right now it seemed almost like a good thing. Like it would be wonderful to be among the _Ageia_ and to be considered their equal. The reality, though, was…

            “It is a kind offer.” Mercedes said. “But…I am an elfin princess, and I have not the qualms with my Elfin Court that you have with your Ariant Palace. One day I will be responsible for leading my people, and I plan on doing it with a kind and just hand. Besides, I made a deal with your new ‘son’ there. I said that if I agreed on the _Ageia_ being a proper course for him that I would grow into an Elf Queen that would cut off the Ariant nobility.”

            “…Hah! So. While we leave the nobility of Ariant stranded in our way…” Raven trailed off, and Mercedes smiled mischievously.

            “…my people and I…we will strand their ill-begotten gains and their poor government in our OWN way. All I must do is grow and hope nothing gets in my way.” Mercedes clenched his fist viciously. “This I promise, my _Ageian_ friends. This I promise. And the promise of an elf princess is not a promise that can be taken lightly.”

            Raven laughed. “I doubt it can be, my dear. I doubt it can be.”

 


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back before the days of the Heroes, when Mercedes is but a child, her mother takes her to the city of Ariant for mysterious reasons. But as those mysterious reasons unfurl themselves in the form of an arranged marriage between nobles, the differences between the Elfin Court and the Ariant Palace begin to reveal themselves and the intentions of a young Phantom become apparent.

Chapter Five

 

           

            Mercedes awoke to the harsh sounds of yells and screeches permeating the crisp air. With a breathy groan the elf girl whisked the thin silk blanket away from her small form and let her tiny feet hit the stone floor beside her guest bed. The side of her tiny hand rubbed at her weary eyes in confusion as the sounds of screams grew closer and closer; the voices sounded panicked and angry. They were clearly the voices of adult females. As the young princess gradually awoke, she realized that one of them was Areda. The other was the brunette noble-woman from the prior day….Lady Yvonne, Mercedes believed she was called. Phantom’s mother.

            Both of them sounded horribly distressed.

            Not that Mercedes minded. She cared very little for either one of them—Areda, abuser of the civilians and Yvonne who had tried to force her into marriage with a _human_. Though Yvonne had at least been indirectly responsible for her being able to meet Raven and the _Ageia_ gypsies, and the elfin princess supposed that Yvonne’s son wasn’t that bad…but Yvonne herself came off as a harpy of a woman, more absorbed in herself than in her duty of serving the people. The exact kind of royal that Phantom and the civilians of Ariant had spoken so poorly of.

            Mercedes sighed quietly; she did not wish to get caught up in their drama. But her ear twitched visibly when she realized that another voice had joined the fray that now was taking place right outside her door. A soft, kind, whispering voice—an elfin voice that urged silence, and a voice that was being paid very little heed to.

            “Mother?” Mercedes asked, propping her door ajar slightly to look up at the three women. Both fairies and the Ariant noble woman looked down upon the pointy eared girl; her mother had sympathy in her eyes. Areda and Yvonne’s faces, however, seemed to be lit up in fiery accusation. “What is going on? Why is everyone yelling so early in the morning? The sun has barely risen yet…”

            “My son is GONE!” Yvonne screamed.

            “Excuse me?” Mercedes said as politely as she could.

            “My son has gone missing from his bed!” The brunette noble stomped her foot, the gold jewelry upon her ankle ringing loudly upon impact. “One of the servants was checking up on him this morning and he was MISSING! My boy is gone! My only son…!!”

            “Calm down. I’m sure that he just…” The Elf Queen trailed off, unsure of how to reassure Yvonne. The noble woman glared daggers at her superior, clearly not satisfied with Mercedes’ mother’s words. “…Yvonne, please. You have sent out quite a few guards. He is a small child on foot, I am sure he could not have gone far. They will surely recover him. Do not  panic. Your son will be returned safe and sound.”

            “I don’t care if they have to bring back the whelp with his arms and legs broken.” Areda spat, chewing irritably on her painted nails. Yvonne nodded haughtily in agreement. “That little brat always thinks he has to have it HIS way, always forgetting that he’s nothing but a child. Tch. Yvonne, you’ll have to punish him harshly upon his return.”

            “That I will.” Yvonne replied with a sharp nod. The Elf Queen was sending aghast looks between the two women, which went completely ignored. “I’ve let him have his way for too long, clearly. Coveting around with those _Ageia_ gypsy folk, taking on a stupid little civilian gypsy name…clearly I shouldn’t have allowed him to be like this.”

            “But…Miss Yvonne…nurturing a child’s interest in civilian culture in very vital to their development as successful leaders—“ The Elf Queen began, but the brunette noble sent the short blonde a scathing glare that made her stand back a bit. Mercedes shivered a bit at the harsh coldness that was present in the woman’s eyes and hid herself behind the back of her mother.

            “I would suggest watching your little elf tongue, Sophitia.” Yvonne hissed. “You may not be entirely blameless here too. It’s worth noting that my child did not disappear until he starting hanging around that trollop child of _yours._ Little princess there, she’s been spending a lot of time with my dear Cyrus lately, hasn’t she? Perhaps your little princess put some ideas in his head that our royal palace was not befitting to him, hmm? Telling him that leaving the palace would just be a grand idea?”

            “How DARE you!” the Elf Queen gasped. Areda placed her hand upon her face as an expression of agony spanned her featured. “You dare accuse my child of any such act? If your child left the palace, the only one to blame is the poor mothering of a woefully idiotic noble such as yourself! The mere FACT that you would dare to accuse my child of such things…a CHILD of such a tender age…! I…”

            “I’m sure tensions are high for all of us.” Areda interrupted smoothly, taking the Elf Queen by the shoulder and squeezing her gently while sending Yvonne a reprehensive look. The brunette glared, but choose to direct it away from the two blonde royals. “Yvonne, perhaps you should go search for your son in the courtyard. Sophitia, Mercedes, I would like to have a word with you both. In private, if you don’t mind.”

            “…Of course.” Yvonne mumbled as she stumbled down the purple painted halls. Mercedes watched after her with bemused blue eyes—the brunette woman had seemed mean and authoritative before but she had just gone downright berserk. The elf princess directed her attention back up to the two fairies.

            “I’m dreadfully sorry about that, your highness.” Areda apologized, false remorse leaking from her every pore. Mercedes held back her urge to roll her eyes; the overindulgent fairy was going to lay it on thick, she could tell already. To her surprise, though, the Elf Queen just patiently let the other woman talk. “You see, Yvonne has always been a little…distressed. Ever since her husband left her after Cyrus’ birth…well, she just hasn’t been the same since. She’s just so prone to lashing out and it’s been very hard to arrange _any_ child to marry to Cyrus because of Yvonne…”

            “And so you agreed to have my dear princess Mercedes married to this woman’s child?” The Elf Queen snapped, outraged. Areda shrank back; the blonde elf had hit it on the head. “I suppose they promised you great wealth and status if you managed to give Yvonne’s child a bride? Elevation in the Ariant royal court? Do not play dumb with me, Areda, I know you and I know your games. I know exactly how you are. You play for keeps and you always want to gain a higher standing among the royals. It was why you were removed from OUR court in Eurel—because you tried to become Elf Queen _yourself_ through cheap tricks and bribery!”

            Areda shrank back in shame.

            “Y-yes, your highness, b-but I—“ Areda blubbered.

            “ _Do not even try, Areda_.” The Elf Queen hissed, bunching up her dress in one hand and grabbing her daughter’s arm in another hand. “I was suspicious when you invited us here, but I considered that your time here among the humans might have changed you. I see it hasn’t done that at all. You are still the same slimy, underhanded creature that you have ALWAYS been and you can consider yourself permanently disavowed from the hierarchy of elves and fairies! For trying to deceive not only me but my dearest daughter…you are now, to us, nothing more than a _human!”_

            “N….no!” Areda shrieked violently, collapsing on the pristine purple tile and grabbing desperately at the Elf Queen’s dress. The blonde woman shook her off. “NO! Sophitia, PLEASE! Please reconsider! Don’t do this to me!”

            “Do not touch me!” The Elf Queen snapped, dragging her child off. Then she stopped and called from down the hall in a vicious tone. “And you can consider the arranged marriage between my dearest daughter and your human filth called off _forever_! Do you understand me? _Forever!”_

            With that, the mother elf began to pack her belongings back into the carriage—normally the servants of the Ariant household would have helped her but the furious Queen would not allow any of them near her. She was clearly too upset with Areda and Yvonne’s foul treatment to allow them or any of their people near her, no matter how hard they tried. Mercedes was delegated to sitting on the side woefully watching her mother argue with one of the human palace servants and wondering how it had gone so wrong.

            At the same time though, she couldn’t help but feel a little giddy.

            “Phantom and the _Ageia_ got away.” She mumbled with a small smile playing on her face, fingers clutching in her white nightgown. Her small feet beat back and forth in the crisp morning air as a small tune sprung into a hum onto her lips.

            “Not yet.”

            Mercedes gave a gasp of surprise as she was dragged into one of the side halls of the palace. When she looked up, she was greeted by three familiar faces: Rosella, Raven, and Phantom. All three looked fairly pleased with themselves. Raven still wore his mask atop his face, while Phantom had tied a black sash with two holes across his eyes across his face to mimic his mentor. Rosella wore a dark cardinal red mask with a smaller beak and no feather; with her, she carried no baby this time. Her ruby red lips curved into a playful smile.

            “You three!” Mercedes whispered urgently. “What are you doing here? If that woman finds you, she will beat you black and blue! She will jail you! You must make haste and leave! What are you even doing here?!”

            “We wanted to stop by and say goodbye to our little elf spirit friend.” Raven said seriously, stroking one gloved hand down the elf child’s blonde hair. Mercedes couldn’t help herself; she let out a small tittering laugh then covered her mouth. Peeking out into the courtyard where her mother waited, she could see that the woman was still arguing with the servants—and now, it appeared, she was arguing with Areda as well. Likely the fairy had come back to plead for her place back as an actual fairy.

            “That is kind of you. All of you.” Mercedes cast a glance at the blonde boy sitting in between Rosella and Raven. Phantom was looking down at his hands and playing with his fingers bashfully. “But I do not need thanks. I am glad to have helped you, and I am glad to have helped the _Ageia_ and the civilians of Ariant. Even if they are…even if they are just a bunch of _humans_ , you are a special bunch of humans. To me, anyways.”

            “That means a lot to us, princess.” Rosella said softly, her tone sweet. “Doesn’t it, Phantom?”

            “Yeah.” Was all Phantom could say. Rosella clicked her tongue disapprovingly but Raven just chuckled knowingly.

            “We have decided, elf princess, to give you a very special gift in lieu of what you have done for our little _Bambinata_ Phantom.” Raven said encouragingly. Phantom nodded excitedly and Mercedes leaned forward, blue eyes clouding over in fascination. “It is rare for just anyone to receive this kind of gift, but we would like to give you what we gave to Phantom—an _Ageia_ spirit name. A name just for you, that represents what you truly are. Do you accept our offer?”

            “I…I do!” Mercedes said loudly, then smacked her hands over her mouth hoping her mother hadn’t heard. Rosella checked; the Elf Queen was arguing with Areda even louder than before. The chubby fairy seemed to be very stubborn.

            “Very well.” Raven lifted his mask from his face using his thumb, revealing a long scar that stretched from the tip of his nose to his left eyebrow. It was a grisly mark and yet the young elf princess felt an urge to reach out and touch it; she resisted the urge. Raven’s long fingers reached out and covered her forehead and enveloped the girl in what almost felt like a cleansing warmth. “You are, in your name, Mercedes the princess of elves. I, Raven the leader of the _Ageia_ gyspies, dub thee….Pegasus.”

            “Pegasus?” Mercedes whispered.

            “Yes.” Raven flipped the mask back over his face, planting a warm smile back onto his featured. “Pegasus is a creature that, in mythology, represents wisdom and fame. You are indeed a wise child, young Mercedes. Or, perhaps I should say, young Pegasus. And I can only hope that the youthful and wise young Pegasus will cross the path of the _Ageia_ again one day…and only hope that she will hope the same.”

            “I could only _dream_ of such a day when I could meet with you and your people again.” Mercedes smiled widely, slipping her tiny hand into the _Ageia_ man’s. He tipped his mask to her, slipped his free hand around Rosella’s waist, and before her very eyes seemed to vanish leaving only the elf girl and the blonde noble boy behind. Mercedes looked over to Phantom in bemusement—wasn’t he going with them? He seemed to only be staring blankly in the distance...

            Then he squeezed his eyes shut, turned, and kissed the elf princess on the cheek.

            “Goodbye, Pegasus.”

            And with a flash, he was gone like Raven leaving a stunned blonde eye with a hand on her cheek and a flush in her features. 


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back before the days of the Heroes, when Mercedes is but a child, her mother takes her to the city of Ariant for mysterious reasons. But as those mysterious reasons unfurl themselves in the form of an arranged marriage between nobles, the differences between the Elfin Court and the Ariant Palace begin to reveal themselves and the intentions of a young Phantom become apparent.

 

Chapter Six

Epilogue

 

 

            It had been so many years.

            Mercedes could remember so vividly, even with it having been such a long time. She could remember the morning her mother had fallen ill and passed away in her sleep. She could remember the day that the crown of holly had been weaved into her own young blonde hair. She could remember the sad yet joyous evening in which she had stepped up from being the young elf princess, to being the strong elf queen. It had been a time in which she had begun to make decisions and keep promises—even to those whom her fellow government members, the Elders, were not aware of. It had all seemed like peaceful times, no matter how much the Ariant nobles had complained about the Eurel blockade of goods trades.

            Peaceful times never lasted, though.

            War had been upon them for many years. Mercedes had known that her mother had sensed it in the air—Sophitia spoke often of a man who wandered the deep forest of Eurel and toyed with forces far beyond his control. The young blonde elf had not understood her sentiment at the time. To her, the warnings that her mother told the Elders of a ‘White Mage’ seemed more like bedtimes stories of a boogeyman—easily slain by closing her eyes and wishing it away with visions of knights on stallions.

            But it was not that easy, she found, once she was actually a Queen. The White Mage was no boogeyman in the dark—he was a real creature, and he had manifested into a dark being. He had become twisted, distorted, and turned into a threat against the safety of all the creatures in Maple. The regime of cruel dictatorship that Mercedes and her mother once looked down upon in Ariant seemed to be the one that this White Mage—now calling himself the Black Mage—favored most of all.

            “It is in our best interest to ally with the humans who have come to aide us, your highness.” A stout, elder female elf gestured her hand forward and then coughed. Mercedes smiled with sympathy in her eyes and took the hand of the Elder—Astilda was not growing any younger. “They are a deplorable lot, these humans. But we cannot hide from them. Not as the world decays around us.”

            “We can defend the world by ourselves!” Another Elder, the redhead Danika argued. Mercedes frowned visibly—this child was the newest Elder, appointed only very recently by the Great Spirit. She had great power in her but she was burdened by the headstrong nature of her youth. Though the Queen supposed that she herself was burdened by it as well. When she had been approached by the so called ‘Heroes’, her first thought was to reject their offer of alliance in favor of defending her world itself.

            “Danika, do not be a fool.” The final and only male Elder snapped irritably. Phillius stood taller than most elves did, imposing and solemn. “We constitute only a small portion of the fairy population, and even with the help of the other fairies we would be hopelessly outnumbered against the forces of the Black Mage and his commanders. The humans are foolish but they are vast in numbers and strong in willpower.”

            “But—“ Danika began, but was interrupted by Astilda.

            “There is strength in numbers.” The older elf said calmly as she folded he hands atop each other. “United we stand, divided we fall, I believe it is how the Aesop goes. We will be crushed like bugs if we refuse the offer that the humans have made to us. I, for one, encourage our young Queen to accept the offer of these new ‘Heroes’ and become one of their forces. We could stand to benefit greatly from it…be they human or elf.”

            “I concur with Astilda.” Phillius chimed in, bowing his head respectfully to his Queen and to the older Elder. Astilda nodded in return. Danika reddened but added a hasty nod of approval as well—her youth taught her, just as it had taught Mercedes as a child, that humanity was to be scorned and avoided. But in a time of turmoil like this they couldn’t afford to turn down the offers of the Heroes. “You have been approached by their leader, correct?”

            “Yes, it is true. A scholar, from the Order of Orbis, who used to advise Empress Aria years prior.” Mercedes replied smoothly. “According to him, he left in order to form a group that could combat the growing threat in this world…he felt his presence on Ereve was simply too restrained, I suppose.”

            “I see. There are others he is working with?”

            “Supposedly there is a warrior woman from the Leafre continent and a retired thief.” Mercedes replied flippantly. “She is known as a champion of her cause. They’ve been trying to contact something known as the Order of Serenity for some time now to no avail…but as is they have the support and alliance of not only Ereve, but the mass majority of the human settlements scattered across the world.”

            “A retired thief? We cannot have our highness working with a retired thie—“ Danika began, but was interrupted.

            “Everyone must work together in times of peril. Trust me, even thieves lose things when it comes to times of tyranny.” Astilda said softly. Danika cast heavy eyes to the ground and Mercedes studied both women. Phillius choose to not interrupt their banter. “In times of tyranny, even the pettiest of people can suffer.”

            “Yes. I suppose that is true.” Danika muttered. She clearly was ashamed in herself.

            “When will you move out to meet the others, your highness?” Phillius finally spoke up. The Queen turned to him with a hesitant smile on her pink lips.

            “As soon as possible.”

            The blonde Elf Queen was not untrue to her words; by the time the sun set, she had already left her Elders behind. To their utter shock, their new allies had come in a flamboyant flying ship—it was decorated in shimmering shards of gold that curved into the shape of a crescent moon in the center. Dark wood doors beckoned to the entrance of a triple curving white overhang, equally over-decorated with gold trim. At the very back of the hovering behemoth sat four gleaming beetle-like feathers that shined a bright purple and blue sheen. The Elders tried to not stare too hard at the elaborate transport at their Queen bordered it—Mercedes seemed fairly unfazed by it, after.

            She was greeted with a handshake by a brunette man in a red robe—Freud, the man she had previously been introduced to. He had asked her and her people to join their struggle against the Black Mage. His other arm was occupied by clumps of scrolls and books, as well as by the gigantic tan woman who stood imposingly aside him. Mercedes looked up to her in wonder—she knew that humans could be massive, but this one had to be at least six feet tall. Her white hair, tied into a tight ponytail, was a shocking contrast to her tan skin and her bright blue eyes seemed to speak of a coldness that only a true warrior could hold.

            “Queen Mercedes, this is Aran. She is the warrior woman I told you about.” Freud said pleasantly, gesturing the best he could at the tall woman. Aran nodded curtly at the blonde elf and Mercedes held back the urge to shiver—what an imposing figure this Leafre-born fighter was. “She is one of our frontline forces against the Black Mage.”

            “It’s a p-pleasure to meet you, Miss Aran. You may both just call me Mercedes, if you do not mind…” The Elf Queen said. Aran nodded again, just as curt in her body language. She was noticeably far from talkative. Freud laughed nervously.

            “I’m sorry. Aran isn’t really much one for the words. She really just prefers to show her skills in a fight…” Freud said sheepishly.

            “That’s fine, I understand perfectly. It’s what she’s here for.” Mercedes replied, thought she couldn’t help but feel reminded of how barbaric humanity really could be at times. “So that is you and Miss Aran. I believe there is another I need to meet?”

            “Ah yes, the owner of this ship.” Freud gestured to the ship and the sky around them; Mercedes looked around in wonderment. The ship was the property of the thief that she had only been told about? That was fascinating. She hadn’t figured a thief with such assets would be willing to join their struggle. “He’s very well known in our world…became a bit of a scoundrel, but eventually joined the Heroes because of an ill that the Black Mage did upon him. Even if the Black Mage may not even be aware of the ill that he did to him…”

            “What ill would that be?” Mercedes questioned. Freud smiled sadly.

            “I don’t think that’s really my place to say, your highness.” He said. The woman raised her eyebrow curiously but didn’t press the issue; the mage clearly had a tired look in his eyes. She supposed that if she wanted to know the true story than she would just have to ask this so called ‘Thief Hero’ herself. So Mercedes followed the mage into the hallway, leaving Aran behind to practice on the deck. “He’s likely to be in the library. Come. It’s best that you meet him as well…not that he’s particularly good at getting along with anyone…”

            “You make me out to be some sort of social retard, Freud.”

            The Elf Queen looked up in alarm, pulling both of her crossbows out of her jacket and aiming them in various directions. Freud sighed and used his staff (balanced uncomfortably between the books in his arms) to lower one of the weapons from its aimed destination. She looked at him with shock and alarm in her wide blue eyes; the mage shook his head in what seemed to be annoyance and gestured in front of them.

            “Show yourself, Phantom.” He sighed. Mercedes bit her lip slightly—now that couldn’t be.

            A burst of cards showered down upon the hall. Freud batted them away with his free hand, but the Elf Queen just let them rain down upon her head. With a snap of her wrist she caught one in her hand. Her eyes travelled inspectingly over the pattern on the back of the card. It appeared to be the mask of a raven set into the middle of a sun shape, heavily emblazoned into a series of deco designs. When she flipped it over the Elf Queen saw the figure of a tall woman in a robe—a cross adorned her chest and a crescent moon with an orb was perched upon her brow. Mercedes’ own forehead creased slightly.

            “The High Priestess.” She mumbled.

            “Upright. Wisdom, _Pegasus._ ” The voice was chiding, but calm. Mercedes looked up sharply to a figure now standing in the pile of cards in the hallway—he was a man of average height, with flaxen blonde hair and striking amethyst eyes. A crisp white coat with golden buttons adorned his chest and puffy pantaloons flared out from decorated black boots. Upon his head was a mask—the same mask that Mercedes has seen on Raven’s head so many years before when she was a child.

            “Phantom.” She said quietly.

            “I should have figured that you would be familiar with him.” Freud sighed, assuming the familiarity to be due to Phantom’s notoriety as a master thief. “Let me assure you that we have him under a very certain leash, your highness. He is a perfectly capable person, I can assure you, and is here for a good reason—“

            “Please, Freud.” Phantom said smoothly as he placed a gloved hand on Mercedes’ shoulder. The Elf Queen didn’t even twitch; her vision stayed focused on the card in her hands until the thief removed it from her thin fingers. “I believe I’m capable enough of explaining myself to the Queen of Elves. _Royalty_ like this only deserves as much, wouldn’t you think? Would you allow me a bit of the dear lady’s time?”

            “…Yes. Yes of course.” Freud said slowly, backing away down the hall. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on but Mercedes figured there was enough semblance of trust between the Heroes for him to trust Phantom with their new ally. She was left alone with the so called Thief Hero in the empty hall, left to focus keen and knowing blue eyes on him…and to fix him with a wry smile.

            “So this is what has become of you, Phantom?” She asked. He sighed overdramatically.

            “Yes indeed. Though once a member of the mighty _Ageia_ , I finally managed to trend out on my own and become an extraordinary thief of my own acclaim.” Phantom cast into an exaggerated pose, then his body slackened. “…You know better, though, wouldn’t you. That it wouldn’t be that easy.”

            “Yes, indeed. What happened?”

            “Humans grow old, they grow sick.” He smiled, a weak and bitter smile. “Raven grew old and ill, and eventually died. Rosella followed soon after. With no leadership the _Ageia_ tradition began to die out. They were the last true _Ageia_ gypsy troop left in Ariant, sad to say…but before he left, he did bless me to carry on his legacy as a master thief. And so I did, as Phantom the Master Thief. Raven is just…my mighty, bossy, but well meaning mentor of days past now.”

            “That’s…so tragic…” Mercedes whispered with a hand over her heart. She couldn’t believe she actually felt pity for a human death but the _Ageia_ man had truly had such a presence to him. Then she paused. “But…if you meant to hold his position as the Master Thief, what are you doing assisting the Heroes in a battle against the dictatorship of the Black Mage? Forgive my impertinence, Phantom, but I just do not understand that line of logic.”

            “…Dear little Pegasus, always so inquisitive.” Phantom chuckled; it was an empty and bitter sound. Mercedes scrunched up her nose slightly. “The Black Mage stole what was not his…he took a life, a very precious one.”

            “W-what? One of the _Ageia?_ ” Mercedes stammered.

            “What? No. It was long past then. I suppose you heard about…” He paused. “…I suppose you heard about the drama surrounding one of the commanders of the Black Mage killing the sitting Empress of Ereve. The beloved Empress Aria was felled a few months ago at the hands of HIS dictatorship.”

            “….Oh.” Yes, Mercedes remembered it. No one could escape the news for a very long time. The mourning was insurmountable—creatures from across the world had flocked from everywhere, no matter the cost, to mourn the loss of their precious Empress. Mercedes herself had taken the Elders to help lay the precious life to rest. It was only as it should be. Empress Aria had been a kind, honest woman. “…but what does that have to do with you, Phantom?”

            “They tried to keep it secret, they did.” Phantom laughed. “No one knows right now, but I’m sure it will escape into history somehow…the illicit affair of the lowly master thief and the beautiful and kindly Empress. The beautiful woman taken in her prime from me, that I was too late to save…I’m not here for Maple World, you understand. I’m not even here for me. I’m here for the worst of reasons, wise little Pegasus. I am here to avenge Empress Aria, the woman that they took from me.”

            The Elf Queen was stunned.

            She had expected any number of explanations for Phantom’s presence here—the _Ageia_ , money, bribery, trickery, anything—but not something as elaborate as a undercover affair that her old friend had been engaged with involving the now deceased Empress of the world. Mercedes certainly couldn’t say she could have seen a boy who had so openly scorned the nobles when he was a child trying to pursue a woman who was the highest of royalty…deep in the reaches of her mind, the elf knew this could truly only mean the most flattering of things about Aria’s personality.

            Slowly, the Elf Queen sat down on the hallway floor next to the thief and brushed locks of hair out of his purple eyes. He looked at her with an expression that looked long out of use—one that was curious, inviting, almost friendly. An expression reserved for friends. Mercedes wanted to chuckle at just how childish the expression looked on her old friend’s face and slipped her hand into his, placing a light kiss on his cheek and whispering in his ear.

            “It is not a contest of nobility. It is just us, we Heroes, saving our world. No matter our reasons…I for my elven society, you for the memory of your dear deceased Empress…” She smiled softly, laying her head in the crook of her friend’s neck. She was surprised when a gloved hand rested on her neck protectively. “…besides. The reason, it seems fine enough to me. Aria, I met her. She’s a fine woman. And she’s a fine woman to fight for.”

            Phantom was silent for a moment. Then, finally…

            “Raven was always right, Mercedes. You always had the wisdom to be called Pegasus.”

            She smiled softly and closed her eyes.

            _Pegasus. A wise one indeed._

           


End file.
